Combined Heat and Power
UM has traditionally had steam heat for campus, starting with coal-fired boilers in the early twentieth century and moving to natural gas in the 1960s. The Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant project allowed the university an opportunity to modernize the boilers and generate electricity more efficiently than the grid can provide. Two gas turbines generate electricity and send exhaust heat into a heat recovery steam generator which generates steam for campus and drives a steam turbine to generate additional electricity. The image below is a simplified process flow diagram.
The primary benefit of the CHP plant will be a reduction in electricity cost to the university and a secondary benefit will be the steam that is produced from the gas turbine exhaust heat. Depending on outside temperature, the plant will be optimized to utilize energy most efficiently by generating more/less electricity and more/less steam including the percentage of steam allocated to the steam turbine. The plant is expected to run for the next 25-50 years depending on maintenance as well as ever-changing utility costs.
Timeline
If you have questions or comments, please send an email to Tim Gauthier
June/July 2021 – Final review of air permit by City/County. Environmental Assessment complete.
September 2021 – CHP construction begins.
December 2024 – Substantial completion of project.
October 2025 – January 2026 – 66+ days of runtime.